THIS year’s Lions captain may sit on the sidelines for the three Tests against
Australia, ending the age-old tradition of leading his men into the toughest
battles.

Warren Gatland, the head coach, believes the search for a player guaranteed a
Test start could be fruitless. “I am not getting hung up about the
captaincy,” he said yesterday. “Look at the quality and depth we have in
certain positions and the leaders we will have. The captain’s name won’t be
the first we write down for any match, there are no guarantees, we just pick
the best starting team.

“At no stage of the tour will we be choosing the captain if there is someone
better in that position.”

Gatland revealed that he has one name in mind to be captain, which could be no